January 21, 2011

Only in the south: A grocery gig

There’s a little grocery store in my hometown that is known (and loved) for things other than fresh produce. I popped in over the holiday break to capture a bit of the magic because I wanted to share it here with you. In several spots throughout the store, lively animatronic vignettes reside…just waiting for the push of a button to come to life. These banjo playing bears are tucked neatly in the corner at the end of an aisle of canned drinks.

This musical trio looks like they might have been formerly employed at the popular kids restaurant, Showbiz Pizza (now Chuck E. Cheese) by way of Dollywood. I’m really not sure where they came from, but they are quite a treat to behold. Down the aisle and around the corner live two spunky hens, Heather & Haylee. They are also a pair of charmers, ready to perform on the spot and push their products to anyone who will listen.

As I was filming this clip, I noticed a middle-aged guy standing nearby, watching intently. When the hens were finished, he turned to me and said that he’d been shopping at the store for ages and yet had failed to notice these extra special touches. I explained to him that I write a blog about the south and since this was such a neat slice of life in this area, I wanted to include it. I also told him that my grandpa had been a meat-cutter for many years and had connections to the market. Of course he wanted to know my grandpa’s name and I wasn’t surprised to find out that he knew him, plus he had attended grade school with my uncle and his parents were close with my great-grandparents. And all because I had filmed some chickens in a grocery store.

I thanked him for saying such sweet things about my family and as I was walking away he shook his head, chuckled and replied “only in the south.”